The Purity Within the Dark
by AngellicChaos
Summary: Ed and Al already have the Philospher's Stone, and have found two friends, from another world, who want to help them restore their bodies. As it becomes Ed's turn to be restored, something goes wrong, and Ed, Al, and their two companions are hurled into-


**Author's note:** _I based this completely off of a roleplay that was held between a friend and_ _I. This is one of a set of two stories, both pretty close to being the same. The major difference is whom the story revolves mainly around_. _I will not be writing the other story, however. A friend of mine will be writing that story. Well, that said, enjoy my little story!_

On a secluded isle in a world and demension similar to that of the one that we live in, a young girl and her elder brother lived peacefully in an isolated village with their parents. For young Junsei Aoko, life was as easy as any seven year old's would be until the day that her life was turned upside-down. A diseased monster had wandered into the village of Aluni, where they had lived, and her parents, being powerful magic users, had rushed into the fray, to try to drive the ill beast away. But, unfortunately they had been bitten by the beast and had become infected with whatever perilous illness that the beast carried with it, and Aoko had to watch, in horror, as her parents died within the very month. Immediately following the death of her parents, Aoko had almost completely shut down, and had locked herself in her room, and denied any food or sleep. Until, her elder brother, Linden, broke open her door one day, and forced her to eat by shoving the food into her mouth. 

As time passed, Aoko began helping her brother, using labor to forget her pain, and slowly, a smile soon returned to the young girl's face. Upon seeing his younger sister's recovery, Linden filled with relief and kept finding many other ways to keep her busy, so that she had no time to brood. And as she recovered, the halls of their family's large house began to be filled with Aoko's sweet and pure-hearted song; a song that some have described as a song of healing. Whenever her song fills the air, the air begins to feel warm, and seems to cradle and soothe all of those who happen to hear it floating down the breeze.

But, when Aoko's fifteenth birthday rolled past, something happened that had unsettled her. Rumors had spread that a beast of the same kind that had killed her parents had been spotted wandering around the area, and Linden had not returned from his errands out in the next town over. Night had crept close, and Linden was late. Aoko stood on the front porch and stared off into the distance, keeping watch, hoping that he would return, but no matter how long she stood and waited, Linden didn't return. Fully worried by now, and growing steadily cold, the young teen decided to head back inside as a large gust of wind blew her oversized, worn t-shirt, revealing a gryphon tattoo curled around a star. No one knew why, or how, she had the tattoo, but she had it ever since she was a child.

Aoko was an extraordinary girl. She possessed highly powerful gifts and magic capabilities that baffled everyone, including her parents. She even possessed a strange ability to use a gift that noone knew; alchemy. She had once transmuted several objects within a period of months, and had soon forgotten how to preform her alchemy. So she busied herslf in her magic, and had earned herself a reputation in her town as a magic user, and was treated badly by those who could not use gifts like the ones she possessed. The only one who had treated her well was her older brother, Linden, and now, he was missing. Aoko frowned and pursed her lips tightly together, she turned around and walked inside and shut the door, locking it for the night. Even though he could come back soon, she knew deep in her gut that it wasn't going to happen. In fact, she knew that he probably wasn't going to be back for a long time.

"Geez, you guys are slow! Hurry it up, will ya?" Complained a young adult male with dirty-blonde hair and bright green eyes. "Yeah, yeah... We're comin'" Replied the shortest of the man's companions. He, too, had blonde hair, but this one had golden eyes, and wore a long red coat. "So is my birthday, Ed!" Joked the man. Ed just rolled his eyes and tried his best to ignore him. "Brother, where do you think Linden is taking us?" Asked the tallest of the group. He was a large suit of armor, and had an adorable voice. "I dunno, Al, but we're gonna have to follow that asshole until we find out" Ed muttered to Al.

The girl in the group laughed and whispered to Ed. "Be a little quieter... He'll hear you and--" She began. "Hey Shorty! I heard your comment, by the way! I may be an asshole, but at least I'm not small enough to wipe someone's ass with, unlike you!" Linden yelled over his shoulder. "Too late..." The girl muttered under her breath as Ed totally spazzed out. She and Al sweatdropped as they watched Ed chase Linden around like her he was going to murder him. "Oi vey..." She muttered. "Big brother sure needs to learn how to hold his temper..." Al commented. "Nahh... Linden just needs to learn to keep his damned mouth shut." The girl added.

"Yeah, you're right, Miran." "Heh, after a while of knowing Linden, you kinda get to know these things." Miran chuckled, then turned her attention towards the two boys. "You guys quite finished?" Ed and Linden froze in the midst of beating the snot out of one another. "Yeah, I suppose so..." They both said, and began walking down the trail once more, leaving Miran and Al to sweatdrop once more. "Geez..." Muttered Miran and she then followed the two boys with Al trailing slightly behind her.

The walked down the path until they found an abandoned building. Upon seeing it, Linden ran right up to it and scoped it out. "This looks like a perfect place! C'mon, you guys!" Linden shouted to his comrades. Ed looked at his ounger brother. "You ready for this, Al?" "I guess, so, big brother." Al replied, unseadily. "You sure?" Questioned Miran. "Yeah, I'm ready." Al tried his best to not seem nervous as he followed the others inside the building. The interior of the building was vast, but dark and slightly dirty from time. There was a table that had collapsed on one side, two of its legs being broken, and there were a few chairs, most in worse shape than the tabe, but there were two standing steadily. "Kinda cool, isn't it? Creepy, too." Linden said as he lit some candles around the room. Then he suddenly whirled around, his face lit with the eerie light of the candles. "Maybe it's haunted!"

His little display startled Ed and Al a little. Miran was unaffected. "Linden, grow up." She said dully, looking rather embarrassed by him. Linden straightened. "Uhh... Sorry, Miran... Okay, let's do this, shall we?" He looked at the brothers. "Who's first?" Ed didn't even waste a second with his reply, "Al is." Al looked shocked. "B-big brother?" Ed smiled at his younger brother. "Don't worry, I'll get my body restored after yours." "O-okay!" Al walked in front of Linden, and Miran assumed position parallel to them, and Ed stood to Al's side (they're kinda in a triangle formation). Linden and Miran began to chant, beginning to form the spell that will aide Ed in transmuting Al's body, with the Philosopher's Stone. As the two channeled their spell into the stone, adding to its power, Ed began the alchemy. He was taking no chances this time, having his two newfound friends help him out in restoring his and Al's bodies.

Within a brilliant flash of light, the suit of armor that had been know as Al disappeared, and when the light faded, and the dust settled, there was a young teenage boy sitting on the floor. He had short blonde hair and big dark eyes, and had them trained on his hands, staring at them with complete bewilderment on his face. "Al?" Ed asked, and the boy looked up at Ed. "Big brother?" Al looked slightly dazed and confused, but his body was back. Miran shouted in excitement. "It worked!" Ed walked over to Al and offered him a hand up, which Al happily took. As soon as weight was put upon Al's legs, they immediately began to give away underneath him,causing Ed and Linden to drag him over to one of the chairs to rest and regain his strength. "Sorry..." Al said quietly after they had placed him in the chair. "Don't worry about it... Just recover, alright?" Said Linden as he walked off to go talk with Miran. Ed seemed to go off into his own little world, thinking, and Al poked his arm, still kind of trying to get used to the fact that he could feel things again.

Linden joked around with Miran while waiting for Al to recover, while Ed seemed to snap out of it. "How are you feeling?" He asked, suddenly. Al looked up at Ed. "Eh... Okay I guess... This is wierd though... I guess it'll take time for me to get used to it." He said and poked his arm again. Ed laughed a bit and regarded his little brother with a smile. "You know, it's gonna take some time to get used to seeing you like this, as well! But... Isn't it great? We did it! We got your body back, Al!" Ed beamed with excitement. Al grinned back. "Yeah! It is great! Now if I could just get my legs to work, it'd be even better." He said laughing slightly. Ed laughed at what Alphonse had said, and looked over his shoulder at his two new companions and said, "Yeah... But you know, I wonder... How are those two gonna get home? Being from another world, and all..."

"Dunno... I hope we can somehow help though..." Al replied. "Yeah... I imagine it would royally suck if I were somewhere far away from you, Al, and unable to return. Take Linden for example, he may act all happy and joke around, but he is probably frightened about not being able to return home to his little sister. I know I would be a bit scared if that were to happen to me." Ed looks over at Al, smiling slightly. "Do you think you can stand yet?" "I dunno. I'll try." Al braced himself on his chair and slowly pushed himself up, spreading his legs slightly to keep his sense of balance. "So far so good..." He said. Ed readied himself to aid Al, if his legs were to collapse again. Linden looked over at the brothers, eyes focused on Al, wondering if he's recovered enough to mend Ed's body.

Al took an unsteady step forward, then another, and another, getting more stable as he walked. "There ya go!" exclaimed Ed as he followed his brother, making sure that he doesn't collapse again. "Is it time, already?" cried Linden in a fake whine. "Linden!" Miran said, laughing as she mocked wacking her friend upside the back of his head. Linden snickers. "Hey, I couldn't resist... My little sister does that so much, I guess the behavior has rubbed off on me." He then looks towards Al again and says, "Hey, Al! How are your legs?" "Better. I'm still a bit shaky though." Al said. Ed looked over at Al and said, "Do you think you can do it?"

Linden snorts at Ed. "Ooh! Look! He just asked the question of the day!" Ed looked over at Linden with a glare. "Shut up." Linden snickered again. Al sighed. "Please don't fight..." He said as he continued walking around to get used to his legs. Linden shrugs, still snickering. Ed glares at Linden some more, but then says, "Alright, Al... But do you think you can handle restoring my arm and leg as unsteady as you are?" "Just give me a few minutes. It's getting easier to move now. I think I'll be able to do it." Al smiled reasurringly at Ed. Ed smiled back. "Alright, take as long as you want, Al! I'm in no rush. I waited this long... I can wait another few minutes!" Ed laughed. "Thanks big brother." Al smiled brightly at Ed. Ed smiled. "You're welcome, Al. It's not everyday you get your body back, after all..."

Linden sort-of grinned watching the two brothers converse, and seemed to lose himself in thought about something. "What's up Linden?" Miran asked. Linden looked over at Miran. "Hmm? Oh, nothing much. It's just the two of them are reminding me of my little sister and me... And, I also wonder if she is doing alright, back home." "I'm sure she's fine Linden. Don't worry so much. She's a big girl after all." Miran smiled as she patted Linden's shoulder. "I know..." Linden said, slowly. "It's just... She hasn't been alone much since the accident, so I wonder how she's doing. I know she's fifteen, and all, and probably could take care of herself, but I can't help but worry about her. What older brother wouldn't worry about their younger sibling, right? No matter HOW annoying they can be..." "Yeah." Miran said, laughing slightly. Ed whispered to Al. "Hey, I didn't know Linden's little sister was your age, Al!" "Neither did I." Al whispered back.

Linden looked over at Ed, smirked, and then remarked, "Hey Shorty! What're you and Al talking about?" Ed lost it on the "shorty" remark, as per usual. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT, HE CAN'T REACH THE TOP SHELF AND IS TOO PUNY TO DO ANYTHING?" He yelled while chasing Linden around in circles. Al sweatdropped. "He never said that, big brother..." Ed was too busy spazzing out to hear Alphonse, and was still chasing Linden around. "Big brother!" Al yelled at Ed. Linden was beginning to tire by now. "Hey, listen to your bro, Ed! I didn't call you that!" Ed finally slowed down and came to a halt. Finally! Thought Linden, who was leaning over and panting somewhat. Ed turned sharply away from Linden and walked back to Al, quietly. "Big brother! Be nice! He's helping us after all..." Al scolded his brother then turned to Linden. "Sorry about that Linden..."

Linden gave Al a thumbs-up, indicating that it was okay, while still catching his breath. Ed looks at Al and says, quietly. "How are you feeling, now, Al?" "Mmmm... Better... Definitely better..." Al said. Linden turns to Al. "That's good... But the question is... Are you steady enough to restore Ed's arm and leg?" He raises an eyebrow with this, and places his hand on his hip. "Mmm... I think so." Al smiled. Ed's face lit up. "Really? You sure?" Al nodded. "Yeah." Ed looked VERY excited, but he somehow managed to keep it together as he walked away, to get into postion.

Linden also got into position and readied himself. "Ready anytime you are!" Al walked over to his brother and pointed to the Philospher's Stone. "I'll need that..." He said, laughing. Ed laughed and handed over the Philosopher's Stone. "Sorry. I guess I got a bit too excited there, and forgot to give it to you." Al nodded with a laugh and got into position, as Miran also got into position and readied her magic. Ed closed his eyes. "I'm ready anytime you guys are!" Al clapped his hands together. "Ready." "I'm good to go. Linden?" Miran said. Linden nodded. "You bet." "Then lets get this over with." With that, Al, Linden and Miran closed their eyes and concentrated. Linden's voice sounded softly, "You ready, Al? 'Cuz here it comes!" And with that, Linden unleashed his half of the spell, sending it towards Al and the Philosopher's Stone. Al braced himself as the magic hit him and he concentrated, channeling it through the stone. Linden focused intently, keeping the magic flowing toward Al. Ed stood there, trying to keep relaxed, desipte the anxiety that raged within him about regaining his arm and leg. Miran did the same while Al continued to focus on channalling the magic through the stone. A bright light slowly began to flood the room, filling every corner...


End file.
